Machine for decorticating the fibrous leaves or stems of plants.



E. WRIGHT. I MACHINE FOR DEGORTIOATING THE PIBROUS LEAVBS'OR STEMS 0F PLANTS.

APPLIOATION TILED nimzn, 1909, v 1,002,107. Patented M3229, 1911.

- A E. WRIGHT. MACHINE FOR DECORTIGATING THE FIBROUS LEAVES 0R STEMS OP PLANTS] APPLIGATIOZNT'ILZED NOV'.29,1909.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

naNns'r WRIGHT, or 'PINNEn, ENGLAND.

icacnmn non niaconrrca'riire s rrnnous Leaves on srnms enemas,

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patnted A g Application iiiefnove be 29, 1909. Serial No. 530,!237.

To o llfwhom it may concern: Be it known that I, ERNEST \Vaieirr, a

subject of the King of GreatBritain, resid ing at Pinner, England, have invented ceri tam new and useful Improvements in Machines for Decorticatingthe Fibrous Leaves ior Stems of Plants,'0f which the following ion-Q cation. :lhis invention relates to that class of ma- :for separating the fibrous 'parts of leaves; or stems of plants from the pulpy or woody parts thereof, and in which rows of pins are aflixed to? a drum and such pins are cleared by metal or other strips movin 5 anddown them during the travel of the drum, the fiber being lifted by the strips from the pins after the combing has been effected, and thus prevented from wrappingaround the drum. In such class of machine it has been found that in consequence of the extensive movement of the various parts, great friction was created and this in conence'entailed great'power to drive same aii d in addition great noise was created dur- Bin working. a

ow the object of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantages by simplifying the construction of the machine to "such an extent that a eat percentage of the I? frictionisobviated, little noise is created and the apparatus can be operated by much less power than formerly.

My invention willjbe clearly understood from the following description, aided by the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side sectional elevation of the ap aratus employing a single drum only. i 2 is a face view of one of the rooved isks hereafter ex lained. Fig. 3 =0 isa longitudinal section of 1g. 2. Fig. 4 s a. face view of the eccentric hereafter explained. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on tlie'line a a of Fig.1. Fig. 6 is a side sec tional elevation of an installation of appa l5 ratus'em combi "'thestemsor "leaves-j Theo v ieif feature of my nvention'is theenrdrum ' strips nio'veiabout'tl e pins only atiacertain portion of the travel of thedrum. r5 1 is the frame of the machine, carrying in suitable bearings an axle 2, said axle "loying two drums for completely V en ma-mg and? carrying the stri s j a whisk. engage.v and d n; (the pin on 1 a and lift the fiber from] the pins; said I disksrevolvingIwithfthe drum so that the g I roller along its sloth v i One end of the axlebf the roller lflis .111

having afiixed thereto a drum"3.]and-drivmgvflwds4,. a T' Surroundin'gthe axle 2 are two eccentrics 5, 5', said eccentricspreferablv having wings 6, 6, provided withslots i'Ptfivliere- -b y sa1d eccentrics can beheld inlpropei p0? sition by bolts 8, 8, to the frame -1. these eccentrics being positioned between the bearingsv and the drum 3. surroundin eacli eccentric 5, 5*, is a disk 9, 95*, having formed in its inner face near its periphery grooves 10, 10?, positioned outsidetlie {periphery of r the drum 3. The drum 3-carrieson its per riphery 'a series of plates 11. arranged at equal distances apart across thedruin. and each of these plates 11 carries a row of pins 12 which constitutesa comb.. .On each side i of each row of pins 12 and intouch'orne'ai'lv so therewith, is'arranged a strip ofnietal-ld. or other material, each pair of strips? 13 being'coniiected at their ends tofinclose the pins 12, and such ends are positioned inithe grooves ll), 10, of the two disks 9, 9. suitable openings being arranged in the grooves 10 for placing the strips. '13 in position. The two disks 9, 9, are connectedto the drum 3 by a rod or driving barvl-l, said rod being positioned in. slots 15, 15, in opposite spokesvor ends of the drum 3, sothat' the drum 3 drives the disks 9; 9 g =around with it, and at the same time allows of "the eccentric movement .of the disks 9, 9.

In inclined slots lfi-foi'medin .thefr'aine 1,' of the machine, are positioned sliding. blocks 17.; these carrying corrugated IOllQl'SlS, 18, and i said frame 1 are ournaled other, corrugated rollers 19. 19, these meshing-with and tlriving the rollers 18, IS.

Oii of the blocks IZ-"is providediiv-ith lug having attached theretoa cord--21 which 1s love over )ulleys 22nand' 22twone end of said cord being. connected to a spring 23 fastened to 'fraine lpwhile its other-end is fastened to a foot lever 24?: theother block in'like manner; isprovided avitlra lug 20 that has secured [to it cord 921 which is rjov'e over; pulleys 22; and 22 {and is connected atone end to.=-a spring 23?,fa svided with a relatively "large pulley 25,

te'hed to "frame Land at the other iend to; M foot" lever 24. 1 'Dep ression:.'lof either; foot which is connected with a small pulley 26 I on the axle 2, by a belt 27, whereby the drum 3 is caused to revolve at a much greater speed than the roller 19. The axle of the.

said roller 19 is also provided with a pulley 28, connected with a pulley 29' (of equal diameter) on the axle 'ofthe roller 19? by a belt 30,'so that both corrugated rollers 19 and 19*, move at equal speeds. On the frame 1, is. also mounted a-rolle-r. 31, having preferably four longitudinal ribs 32, said roller 31 being provided with a pulley 33, and, being revolved by a belt or chain 34 which is held against tbeside of pulley 33 and passes around an idle pulley 35, and around the pulley 36 on the axle 2, the arrangement being such that the ribs are successively introduced between the rows of pins as the drum 3 is revolved. r

' The operation is as follows, having regard to Figs. 1 and 5. If the eccentrics 5, 5, are

1 adjustable they are placed and secured to the frame in adjusted osition by the bolts 8, 8"; that is to say, it thetwo sets of rollers 18, 18, and 19,19, are employed the eccentrics are so adjusted that the strips 13 begin to recede from the points of the pins 12 just before they reach the rollers 18, 19-; but if onlyone set of rollers say 18, 19, are employed, the eccentrics 5, 5, are so adjusted that the strips 13, begin to recede from the points of the teeth just before reaching that setof rollers. The eccentrics being posi tioned, say for the use of the two sets of rollers 18 and 19, and 18 and 19, the operator first starts the machine by the driving wheels 4, 4, after which he places one end of the leaf or stem between the rollers 18% and '19, and then places the other end of the leaf between the rollers'18 and 19. As the drum 3 is now revolved, the ends of the leaf are passed on to the drum 3 by the rotation of the rollers 18* and 19*, and 18 and 19, andacted upon by the ins in the well known manner, the leaf bemg pressed between the rows of pins by the ribs 32 on the roller 31. The movements of the rollers carry the leaf on to the drum, and as soon as the body of the leaf becomes taut between the two sets of rollers, the operator, by pressing on the foot lever 24, opens the .tWO rollers 18, 19, thereby releasing the leaf at that end, whereupon its other end "is ad- Vancedbetween the rollers 18 and I9, and the part untouched by the pins is acted upon, so that the whole leaf eventually becomescombed. During the revolution of the drum between the points marked X, Y, say J; of a revolution, each set of strlps has been gradually (by reason of its connection to the grooveddis'ks 9, 9) caused to move inward 1 toward the axle, so as to expose the pins and allow of their gradually increasing action on the leaf, During the revolution of the drum between the points Y, Z, the strips are moving away from the axle so as to .in contact with the same;

allow of a gradually increasing action of the pins; on the leaf,'the strips at the same time clearing the pins and lifting the fiber from ,the,pins,,.w1 1eg;eupon it falls away or is collectedfby th attendant. During the.

a n g earma k kettles-$1 Y. the

strips are at the points of the pins and travel concentrically with the dru In Fig. 6, I have shown d syst'em wherebytwo drumse'ie employed, each being constructed as in Fig. 1. In this machine the leaf is delivered between one pair of corrugated rollers'18, 19", from an endless band 37, is passed around the'drum and acted upon by the combing pins, but the stump or end is not acted upon by the pins of the first drum in consequence of its leaving the corrugated rollers 18, 19. When this takes place the whole of the fibertogether with the end or stump of the orig nal leaf -is carriedaround with the drum. On reaching the other side of the drum, the stump iS lifted off by the outward movement of the strips upon the pins and falls upon an endless band 38 on which it is carried with the fiber attached, between a pair of rollers 39, 40, from which it is passed stamp or end first around another smaller drum 3. The

stump is then acted upon by the pins of the second drum 'so thatthe whole of the leaf is combed, the fiber passing from this drum between rollers 41, 42, on to an endless band 43 to be carried away for collection and subsequent treatment.

44, are water nozzles for supplying water. to wash the pulpy or fleshy matter away from the fibers as is usual, and 45 is a guard to prevent the fiber falling on to the belt 43, withoutfirst having passed between the rollers 42, 43. J

. What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a decorticating machine, the combination if a drum provided with a series of rows of combing pins; a paif fidisl zs arranged at the endsof said druinaiid supported eccentrically with respect thereto, said disks having their innelffaces formed with annular grooves; a series of pairs of strips arranged uponopposifteisides of said rows of pins and with their mutually adjacent inner longitudinal edges substantially i said strips having their ends fitted 'i "the grooves in said disks, for connecting the latter; means for rotating said drum; and means connecting said drum and disks for causing the same to rotate in unison, whereby said pairs of strips are caused to move forward and backward relatively to said rows of pins at predetermined intervals and to act directly thereon, to clean said rows and remove the combed material therefrom.

2. In a decorticating machine, the combination of a drive shaft, and meansfor rotatin tl1e same; a drum mounted coneen-trica ly-Ion. said shaft; wseries of rows oftoothedficonihs;caii'ied b said drum; an eccentrideectir-edti )"said s aft adjacent each end'of sfiid drum; :1 disk carried 1) each eccentric gfind havingits inner face ormed with enennuler groove; means connecting" said-dlsks'end drum for causing the same to rotate in unison; and a series of .claning 10 and lifting devices connecting said disks an havixigtheir ends fitted in th'egrooves there- In testimony whereof I hzwe hereunto set 15 my hand in presence of two subscribing wltnesses.

ERNEST WRIGHT.

Witnesses:

RICHARD COXE GARDINEB, LYNWOOD A. GARDNER. 

